Change single process color to PMS

[Dave Darian]

I'm looking for an easy way to remap a single process color to a spot color throughout a PDF file. We are a consumer publisher who has recently started producing more 2-color books (black + PMS).
For internal work flow reasons, we make out files black + a single process color (cyan or magenta) because files created as black + PMS are very inconvenient to change the PMS color, which we occasionally need to do a few days before submitting to the printer, especially files containing EPS links in InDesign.
So far, no problem. We tell the printer to print the single process color as the PMS of our choice and all is well.
However, to make proofs (CGS + Epson) that simulate the actual Pantone color, I need to remap the single process color and cannot find a practical way to do it.
Is there a simple utility or plug-in that allows remapping of a single process color to spot in all occurrences and screen values throughout a PDF file?

 

[ericmadsen]

Dave,

Define your links as spot colors, and use InDesign's Ink Manager to re-map those colors to different spots (or process channels) as you need to.

The specific spot color in your EPS and PSD links doesn't matter -- it's a dummy spot color you'll remap in InDesign. Import your links, then create a Spot Swatch in InDesign for the target color. Under the context (arrow) menu in InDesign's Swatches panel, select "Ink Manager", then select the dummy spot channels you've used in your links and choose your target color under "Ink Alias".

In order to see the re-mapped results in InDesign, turn on Overprint Preview (under View) or Separations Preview (Shift+F6) -- this may need to be done each time you open the INDD file. Exported or distilled PDFs will retain your new mappings. They'll work fine for your print provider too.

Eric


PS.: If there's any chance you'll ever replace the black+PMS with PMS+PMS, build the black as a spot color too and map it to Process Black from your INDD Ink Manager. So you don't have to work as hard when the client wants to make that black into reflex blue or whatever. Keeps you flexible.

PPS.: Use Illustrator's "Recolor Artwork" feature (Edit > Edit Colors) to make your EPS Process colors into spot colors. Pretty intuitive, and it works a treat. In Photoshop, you'll be copying/pasting to a Spot Channel, which takes some learning, and saving as a PSD version (when in doubt keep the source file too for editing!)... a bit to learn, but this is the way to do it. Alternatively, save each spot channel as a separate grayscale TIF, then colorize and superimpose them in InDesign (using your Multiply blend mode).

 

[Dave Darian]

Change single process color to PMS

Thanks, Eric!

 

[mattbeals]

You can do this with callas pdfToolbox for vector objects. For colors inside images it can be a bit tricky.

 

[John Clifford]

EricMadsen made the assumption you were using InDesign. It would be helpful if we knew more about what your workflow is, how do you create your files, what tools do you have available.

I've run into this many times and we've found several ways of dealing with it. If you have Pitstop, you can create an action that changes the process color to a spot. InDesign has also been mentioned. Acrobat itself has ink mapping.

 

[Dave Darian]

Matt:
The images would be magenta-only or cyan-only raster images. Do you think converting them to spot would still be tricky with PDF Toolbox?

 

[mattbeals]

I don't think so, but I'd have to see the PDF.

 

[ericmadsen]

You save 'em as grayscale from Photoshop and apply the color in Indesign, right? I'm not understanding the workflow efficiency you'd gain by building these on process channels rather than spots...

 

[Dave Darian]

We are using InDesign CS2. We want to archive our book projects with the most current files containing the most current text and color specs.

If we produce a 2-color project as black + PMS, we may decide to change the PMS color after all files have been created and, consequently, have to change the color in not only the InDesign files, but also in each and every link in order to archive the files containing the actual color that printed.

Eric's suggestion to remap the color in InDesign is great, but requires using overprint preview to see the remapped color. This could be confusing to anyone in house who opens the files in the future and sees anything other than the actual spot color that printed because overprint preview is off. I know this may sound petty, but we have over 80 designers and "typesetters" who may be accessing files for reprints and may be surprised to see anything other than the spot color they expect will print. To complicate things, overprint preview does not seem to stay on or off at all times. In addition, I assume remapping the color in InDesign does not change the spot color in each and every linked file.

So to keep things simple and minimize questions and problems brought to prepress, I've asked that 2-color files be setup as black + a single process color which eliminates the need to change anything if we're unhappy with a spot color late in the game.

The system worked well when we used Dupont proofers because the rip provided a simple way to remap a process color plate to Pantone so that our proofs could show the actual spot color while the files remained black + single process.

Our new CGS rips do not provide the same remapping capability so my only problem now is remapping for the purpose of proofing. Producing and archiving files as black + single process is working fine. If a PDF process color could be easily remapped to a Pantone, I'd be home free.

Sorry to ramble on, but I hope this helps you see the situation.

 

[John Clifford]

You save 'em as grayscale from Photoshop and apply the color in Indesign, right? I'm not understanding the workflow efficiency you'd gain by building these on process channels rather than spots...

Or you can open them in photoshop and change the mode first to grayscale, then to duotone, and make the image a monotone of the PMS color you want.

 

[TRYYZ]

You should purchase the Pitstop plug-in for Acrtobat. You can use it to change color on vector or text objects either individually with the inspector, or globally with the Global change feature all
within the pdf. Global change works great if you have a multiple page pdf.

 

[ericmadsen]

Sucks to have to update legacy files that would work fine if you could map in-RIP. Maybe your printer can map the channels for you with his PDF Normallizer, or even purchase an extra seat license for his Normallizer and rent you server time over a VPN?

Best practice moving forward though: instead of CMYK Magenta use a spot magenta in your links. I'd name it "Spot 1" whether it's Cyan or Magenta. That way you don't have to be consistent in your choice of color value in the links -- the spots will map based on their color name.

Remapping it in InDesign will remap each and every link, rasters and vectors, and will retain duotone and overprint information, transparencies, etc. Without overprint preview, your files will look like they look right now. But they'll always PDF (export or print postscript) as the spot you've mapped, if you've mapped one. Or you could not map one and convert to process in your output dialog, and get exactly the results you're getting now.

You might even write a quick script or two to Export with the spot mapped to a color you're asked for on output, or to process, or to its default "Spot 1" channel, which would provide for later "Place Multiple Script"->map color->Export remapping within your existing InDesign workflow. Why buy more when you can implement it so easily and quickly with what you've got?

Spot color skills aren't hard, and if you can educate your staff on it they'll gain workflow efficiency and a skill they'll use wherever their design careers may take them... Just make sure your policy is consistent, and the long-term benefits will far outweigh the training and file rework expenditure.


PS: +1 on Pitstop. It'll slow down your Acrobat (most especially on Windows), but it does a lot and you can automate this kind of stuff. Maybe you can afford the Server version -- I've never used it, but if it isn't an Acrobat plug it wouldn't make Acrobat launch slowly, right? I think you could even hotfolder-automate a task like this in PitStop Server.

 

[Dave Darian]

Remap single process color to spot

Remap single process color to spot

Spot magenta is an interesting idea. However, using a spot color introduces a need to consistently setup the same color when creating Photoshop and Illustrator links. It's unlikely all of our designers will do it consistently. Very few of them have experience setting up spot color in Photoshop since most of our work is CMYK.

It would be so much simpler to solve this problem on the prepress end than to make changes upstream.

Have also exhausted Pitstop's capabilities including a call to their support staff. Tried remapping using an action list. Found out that the replacement of a screened color with spot is not 1 to 1. For example a 30% magenta does not globally replace with a 30% spot. Instead it replaces with a screen percentage based on a calculated luninence match. 30% magenta might end up 22.5% spot depending on the lightness/darkness of the solid Pantone color. Close, but no cigar.

I imagine a plug-in that will show all the color channels of a PDF document and allow you to remap any one of them to the color of your choice. At the same time, I realize what I'm trying to do is extremely unusual, so why should someone take the time to accommodate it.

Your input has been very helpful, Eric. I'm going to experiment with the "spot magenta" idea and see if it might be worth making the changes upstream. At least remapping would then be easy in InDesign and our archived files would always be the same single "process" (spot) colors.

 

[Stephen Marsh]

I read the replies mentioning the Illustrator Recolor Artwork feature with interest, as I can't figure this out for an ongoing job (Illus. PDF attached).

This is part of a logo - it uses many gradated tints of 4C magenta+yellow red - from light tints to solids. It needs to be remapped to a spot colour.

For example, if the original uses 2%m2%y it needs to remap to 2% spot. If it is 25%m25%y it needs to map to 25%spot. 100%m100%y remaps to 100% spot.

Basically I need a 1 colour global spot ink mix version of the logo in Illustrator. At the moment if a spot colour is needed we use the magenta plate. Ideally we could have the true spot colour in the file.

Can somebody please point me in the right direction on how to quickly recolour this from process to spot? Easy in Photoshop, not so easy for me in Illustrator!


Stephen Marsh

 

[ericmadsen]

Stephen,

I've attached the file converted to the green spot color you included in your swatches. I did "Select All", then "Edit">"Edit Colors">"Recolor Artwork". Near the top, I selected "Colors: 1", then I double clicked the swatch displayed under "New", selected "Color Swatches" and chose your Spot color. Back in the "Recolor" dialog, play with the context menu under the "New" Swatch to determine the best color matching method. The PDF now separates to a single spot channel.

Eric

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Thanks Eric, I will check out the file tomorrow when I am back at work!

I will not discount operator error, however I think I was doing what you suggest - however the green swatch was not showing up, I will go through your steps and see if I was missing something basic.

EDIT: Thanks again Erik, yes, it was operator error - great stuff, thanks!

Cheers,

Stephen Marsh

 

[PrepressDan]

EskoArtwork's Neo will do this for you if you are dealing with a supplied PDF. It will handle the images and Linework.

30 day trial here
Neo Download Website - EskoArtwork